Summer and Winter
by astridelta
Summary: Sasuke has finally found Naruto after three years in Hell, but the blonde has returned with a vengeance, and Sasuke is not sure if he can reverse the damage the Deceived have done. Rated T for coarse language. Book 2 of the S/M series. SasuNaru *ON HIATUS*
1. Blizzard

_Chapter One_

_Blizzard_

"...What do you mean, you broke him," Sasuke growled as more red lightning crackled on Naruto's face. Angard stepped up beside him, his amethyst sword clinking on the ground. Nagen floated forward to inspect Naruto's face more closely, and the blonde's hand flashed out and grasped the soul-sphere tightly.

"Oh, well, you see," Consecro started and smiled. "We couldn't get the Kyuubi, yet anyway...so we sealed the two away. We created a new Naruto Uzumaki...one who doesn't need you as a friend." Sasuke shuddered in anger as Naruto carelessly tossed Nagen aside, the orb hitting the dusty ground with a thump. _"...I can't float!" _the orb exclaimed, and sounds of struggling came from the soul-sphere as it rolled around uselessly on the ground.

The group behind Consecro laughed at Nagen's plight. Sasuke leaned forward and gazed into Naruto's blue eyes, hard with hatred as they stared back. "You left me," the blonde whispered. Sasuke froze as he raised his arm to fling shruikens at Consecro mercilessly. "Three years," Naruto continued lowly. "Naruto..." Sasuke whispered, scared. Scared for himself, scared for Angard, Nagen...

For Naruto.

As Sasuke gazed at the vengeful person across the sunny clearing, he felt a fear unmatched by any emotion he had ever felt before swell inside of his heart like a tsunami when he recognized the emotion in Naruto's eyes. He knew what it was that the blonde felt in there...it was...revenge!

"How could you do this to him?" Angard asked slowly, and Sasuke remembered that the Daemon was involved in this as well, and the pain in his voice went unmasked as the brunette strode forward to stop barely two feet in front of Naruto, towering over the blonde's form and carefully wielding a silver shield on his left arm.

"I told you," Consecro said dismissively, closing his eyes and faking a yawn, eventually peering through one eye cheekily at the Daemon. "We couldn't get the Kyuubi. Apparently the two have become...quite close. So until we find a way to summon the demon...we created the perfect weapon against you. Naruto Uzumaki as you knew him is _gone_."

A shiver ran through Sasuke's form, and his vision and mind consisted of one thing: Consecro, and ripping the child _limb. From. Limb. _How dare he defile Naruto this way?! Twisting his mind, his heart, making him an unrecognizable force of nature and forcing him to work for them! Their evil, evil ways that went unmatched by anything on this Earth...

"I will kill you for this," Sasuke snarled, and Vixyed laughed, voice devoid of humor. "Now you know how it feels!" He yelled back and peered around Consecro, eyes frantic with insanity and anger. "Now you know what it's like to lose someone you love!" Sasuke started forward and managed to stalk forward a few steps, but then Angard's arm suddenly shot out to block his path.

"Stay," he whispered, and Sasuke peered around his shoulder to see his now pure black eyes locked with Naruto's. The blonde appeared to be frozen; his hands were clenched by his sides and his eyebrows were pulled into a scowl, but he didn't move from the spot he was in. "If you fight them now, your rage will consume you and you will lose. Remember what Ira told you."

_Don't lose sight of what you want..._Yeah, Sasuke remembered. Didn't mean he liked it though. "...We came here for Naruto," Angard called, and all the humans in front of them suddenly flinched at the sheer hatred in his tone. "And we will take him. You will not interfere, and you will not come after us in any way. If you do, the Daemons _will_ declare war on human kind."

Consecro's eyes widened, and the legion behind him all took in a sharp breath as they dropped their various barbed weapons to the ground. "Master Angard, you wouldn't," the Damned said in a hushed voice. "And as for you," the Daemon continued as if Consecro hadn't spoken, "You are here by banished to the Hole. You will leave all Daemon residences and immediately begin your services-"

"You can't send me there!" Consecro snarled suddenly, hazel eyes wide with fear and anger as his face twisted into decaying flesh, muscle dripping from under his robes and Sasuke fought back a look of disgust at the sight.

Black tendrils lashed out from Angard and latched onto the boy's arms, and steam rose from where they contacted his skin, and he screamed in agony. "For committing treason against the Elders of the First Division Royals, Consecro, you are hereby sentenced to the Eternal Flame by order of the Elder Sorrow Angard."

Angard raised his arm and pointed at Consecro, and a gaping hole opened under his feet, the black lines on his arms beginning to drag him under as he writhed in their burning grip. "Burn in hell," he added lowly as Consecro's torso vanished into the hole's depths.

The Damned's screams echoed around the trees as his head was slowly pulled under as well, and once he was fully gone, the pit closed and the ground knit back together. Silence fell on everyone, even the four people now huddled on the corners of the clearing and were suddenly edging their way into the tree line, when Angard flicked his wrist and a clear, purple glass cover suddenly walled in the space with more of the Daemon's unusual language etched into it's depths, the height reaching the tips of the leaves on the trees.

"You can't keep us here," Puldrey sneered, but his glare was wiped from his face when Angard's image flickered, disappearing and then showing up to tower over the human. "I can do whatever I want," the brunette said, voice dangerously low. "I'm afraid not," a new voice suddenly announced.

Chills ran down Sasuke's spine as the coldness in that voice suddenly sparked a memory in his mind, and his first thought was to protect Naruto, who was currently standing still, limbs limp and his eyes locked on a spot on the ground. Spinning since he was facing away from the rock Naruto had emerged from, he drew his katana and held it in front of his body while pressing his palm to Naruto's chest to face the hooded man that Sasuke had seen in his vision, pitch black covering his face under his brown hood as he emerged from the hole under the obsidian rock.

Angard turned as well, and Nagen, who was able to fly again, went to hover by Sasuke's head, and as he brushed against the raven's head, a vision of a red headed man with brown and yellow eyes baring a snarl on his lips filled his mind for a brief moment, then vanished once Nagen broke the contact.

"You," Angard breathed out. The hooded man laughed. "Master Angard," he greeted with a sweeping bow, a pale hand and slender fingers emerging from his sleeve as he crossed it over his chest. "It is an honor to meet you in person. I must say, the myths of your accomplishments do not go unnoticed amongst our kind. You are legendary."

"It sickens me to be held in such high esteem by ones such as you," Angard snarled. The man laughed, voice devoid of humor. "I apologize for the unbecoming greeting my pets and servants have given to you," he said, and the hood turned towards the cowering group behind Angard.

"You four. Inside," he commanded, and Sasuke turned his head for a brief moment to see all four, including Vixyed who was fixing a cold glare on the raven, vanish in a cloud of black smoke. "Troublesome humans. They never know how to listen," the man chuckled. Then it seemed that he turned his eyes to Sasuke.

"Ah. You must be Uchiha Sasuke," he hissed, and Sasuke pressed his back even further against Naruto's chest. "How do you know who I am," he growled back. "My dear boy. Your brother's...activities do not escape me. Nor does his younger sibling who left his best friend for three years."

"Don't you dare talk about my brother," Sasuke yelled and if the urge to protect Naruto wasn't his most pressing need, he would be running forward to slice this horrible creature's head off. As it was, the figure was outlined with red and Sasuke tasted copper on his mouth.

Another chilling laugh filled the air, and Sasuke could have sworn the temperature dropped a few degrees. "Very well," he conceded and bowed yet again. "However, I know of you specifically because of your...lovely little friend behind you." Sasuke stiffened. _Naruto talked about me...?_

As if the man had read his thoughts, he nodded. "He often spoke of you, your leader Kakashi, and your friend...Sakura." He hissed the rosette's name. "At first, he was convinced you three would come to rescue him," Sasuke winced at the obvious jab, "But...when we broke him, he _hated_ you. Oh, the words he said, they would drive you insane if you heard them..."

This time Sasuke couldn't hold back a flinch, and he unconsciously again pressed against Naruto as if the action would contradict the hooded man's twisted lies. "What the hell are you?" Sasuke asked in thinly veiled despair. "You may refer to me as The Chosen One."

Angard barked out a harsh laugh. "You are not 'Chosen'," he snarled. "Humans are not meant to become Daemon. Or Demon! You are deluded for even attempting something of this magnitude! If you turn every last human down there, consequences of the worst kind will happen."

The Chosen One laughed. "You cannot stop us now, Master Angard." Sasuke narrowed his eyes, and suddenly his already Sharnigan-enhanced vision sharpened, and purple flames flickered around himself and Naruto. Sasuke looked around himself and saw a towering, purple skeletal figure wielding a long sword and shield, yellow eyes glowing maliciously in its eye sockets.

"...Susano'o," The Chosen One whispered. Sasuke grinned as the fear in the man's voice leaked out slowly. "Maybe he can't stop you..." Sasuke took a step forward, and the hooded figure staggered back as Susano'o swung its sword towards him and barely brushing the deep brown robes. "But I can. And I _will_." The man was pressed against the obsidian rock, and no-where left to go as Sasuke stalked forward to encase him in Susano 'o's depths, brushing his katana against the man's chest.

"You are arrogant boy," The Chosen One snarled, and then his figure was replaced by more black smoke, and Sasuke leapt back to stand in front of Naruto as the obsidian rock before him slammed over the hole in the ground.

Every living creature (minus Naruto) held their breaths as they waited for an attack, but none came. Warily, Sasuke dispelled Susano'o and deactivated his Sharnigan, turning to face Naruto, Nagen, and Angard. The Daemon's eyes were back to brown and blue, their depths encased with sorrow...and relief.

"I'll go find Ira and Kunae," he stated. "I managed to lock the consciousness the Deceived placed inside Naruto away for a few hours, so right now he's unconscious. I'll bring Nagen with me, so stay here until we get back."

The Daemon walked forward quickly and pressed his palm on the black boulder, purple characters etching into the base, then he leapt off with an orange blur close behind him.

Sasuke didn't know what to do know as he stared at the blonde boy before him, blue eyes dull and red lightning crackling every now and then on his cracked skin. He noticed that, just as it was in his vision, Naruto was just barely shorter than the raven, and he was glad for that.

Pressing his palm again Naruto's cheek, Sasuke tried to tilt the boy's head up, and eventually managed to move his neck so it seemed like his blue eyes were staring into midnight black.

Except they were devoid of emotion.

Sasuke flinched when he gazed into Naruto's blue orbs, knowing that they once had held such sparkling laughter, which changed to hard hatred in a span of three years. Hatred directed at Sasuke. "Naruto..." Sasuke managed to whisper, and then he wrapped his arms tight around Naruto's shoulders, burying his face the junction between the blonde's shoulder and neck.

The Uchiha clenched his eyes tight as tears overflowed from them, tightening his grip and more pain crashing down on his mind when Naruto's arms didn't return the embrace. "I'm so sorry," Sasuke said softly, brokenly, into Naruto's skin, as if the apology would bring the blonde back to him.

Nothing happened.

A strangled sob pressed against Sasuke's lips, but he refused to let it escape, and instead he tightened his arms around the blonde as a hand pressed against his shoulder blades. Head raising quickly, Sasuke studied Naruto's face and saw that one of his arms was pressed against his back.

The blonde's face was still blank, but Sasuke saw a flash of brightness in those dull blue orbs, and he knew that the real Naruto was in there somewhere...fighting to get out. It showed in the arm wrapped around Sasuke's back and the color in his eyes. It showed in the shallow breathing that brushed against the hollow of Sasuke's neck and in the blonde hair that was ruffled in the warm breeze that filled the clearing.

Sasuke again felt tears prick his eyes and despised the weakness he was exhibiting...but he knew that there was a chance of getting Naruto back from the Deceived's clutches. And as he looked into Naruto's eyes, a resolve set inside himself that he wouldn't break no matter what. "I will find you Naruto. I promise."

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8 _

_Deep within the darkness of Naruto's mind, the blonde floated amongst images that were too horrifying for his eyes to witness, and he covered his eyes with his arm in a vain attempt to erase the awful screaming that he heard. "Kyuubi!" he shouted again, trying to find the fox demon somewhere in this hell._

_Nothing. _

_Naruto froze in his movements, hovering in the air when a deep voice reached him, shattering through the voices and the images and creating a pinprick of light that he could barely see. _

_"I will find you Naruto. I promise."_

_Naruto gazed at the light, the voice so familiar and yet, a stranger to his ears. Who could possibly save him from this torture...? He didn't know. But he sure as hell wanted to find out._

_The prophecy The Chosen One had recited then flashed in his ears, and he flinched as he recalled the message._

_The boy with whiskers thrice_

_Hiding the darkest of evil inside_

_Become the gateway_

_To Hell divine._


	2. Snow Dust

_Chapter Two_

_Snow Dust_

Sasuke stood for, well, he didn't even know how long, simply holding Naruto in his arms while looking around the clearing warily, awaiting the Daemons to return and take them away from this wretched place. Every so often, he spared a glance at the boy in his arms, and his eyes would soften at the sight, since whatever spell Angard had cast had taken full effect and to the passing eye, Naruto simply appeared to be simply asleep.

_He looks just fine..._But Sasuke knew he wasn't. He knew that somewhere in Naruto's heart was a hatred, kindled by three years of waiting to be rescued. Three years that never came. Pure loathing surged inside Sasuke as he glared at the obsidian boulder past Naruto's shoulder, and he unconsciously growled and tightened his grip around Naruto protectively.

No-one was going to hurt Naruto. Never again.

Silence filled Sasuke's ears, minus the sound of his breath mingling with Naruto's, as he strained to hear any sign of Angard returning with his sisters, Sakura, and Nagen. But no sound could be heard. Slightly worried, since as the raven glanced at the sky he saw that the sun was slowly setting and they had arrived at the clearing well before noon, Sasuke gingerly picked Naruto up bridal style (he smirked at the thought of Naruto in a dress) and turned, trying to find where Angard had run off to.

Choosing a cluster of bushes at random, Sasuke set off at a brisk walk and tried to activate his sharnigan to see in the dimming forest. However, his chakra was too drained from summoning Susano'o, and his eyes stayed coal black. Sighing, the Uchiha adjusted his grip on Naruto and continued to glance around, trying to find any sign of the Daemon and Nagen.

Nothing.

"Dammit," Sasuke muttered and was about to turn when he stepped in something...wet. Looking down at his foot, Sasuke saw dark red blood mingling with purple under his sandal, and his own blood froze as he recognized the purple as that of a hellhound.

"Angard!" He shouted and sprinted off in that direction, now somewhat cursing that he had Naruto in his arms because it meant the raven had to make sure the blonde's neck was secure and that he didn't fall from the taller boy's grip. More splotches of blood appeared on the forest floor, and to Sasuke's dismay the dim red blood began to show in greater frequency.

Entire trees were blasted from their roots, and large craters were dug into the earth as Sasuke pelted by, eyes narrowed against the branches and leaves that whipped against his face and trying to catch sight of some living creature. Then, suddenly, more red blood was splashed against a tree and some of it took the shape of a handprint, while the carcass of a hellhound lay under the tree's shadowy canopy.

Stopping, Sasuke inspected the creature, and saw that it was much larger than the ones he had faced earlier. It was still alive as well; it whimpered pitifully and the flames that burned on its neck, paws, and tail flickered weakly. When it sensed Sasuke's presence, the Uchiha saw that its eyes were pure red instead of yellow, and when it snarled, the flames grew to impossible heights, licking at the branches of the tips of the trees.

Then it growled once, and its head flopped to the leaf strewn ground, eyes frozen wide in death. Sasuke held Naruto close, away from the blood and his nose wrinkled at the stench, but he knew now that Angard couldn't be too far away. So he turned away from the monstrous creature which was easily twice his height and continued his search.

Anxiety clawed at his stomach as blood literally formed pools on the ground before his feet while Sasuke took a slower pace through the forest, eyes straining to notice anything in the now low moonlight. Unfortunately, the raven's eyes were next to useless in this lighting without his sharnigan, and while Susano'o would definitely prove to be a useful weapon later in the future, Sasuke cursed how much power and endurance it took to manifest and maintain the chakra guardian.

"Angard!" He called again, in the vain hope that the brunette would be well enough to answer. And, as Sasuke had suspected but hoped to the contrary, no reply answered his shout. More fear pooled into Sasuke's chest. _If he's dead...what will I tell Kunae and Ira...? What about his clan? _Sasuke thought worriedly, adjusting his grip on Naruto once more as he did so. _What about me...? Angard...I don't hate him...he's like my stepfather..._

The thought totally caught Sasuke off guard, and if he had been a lesser shinobi and Uchiha, he would have tripped and landed face first in a pool of blood before his feet. Surely he didn't mean Angard was a better father than his own flesh and blood, right?

Sasuke couldn't find an answer.

"...Angard!" He shouted again. "Angard!"

"Angard!"

_"Angard!"_

A fist collided with Sasuke's cheek.

Staggering back, Sasuke's head spun literally and metaphorically as he tried to see his attacker, and he looked down to see if Naruto was alright, and was met with two angry blue orbs staring back up at him. "What do you think you're doing," Naruto hissed, and his eyes narrowed when Sasuke clenched his fingers into fists around his shoulders. "Taking you home," Sasuke replied flatly and restrained Naruto's arms to ensure another attack like that wouldn't happen again.

As expected, Naruto flailed uselessly in Sasuke's arms, all the while keeping his now furious gaze trained on Sasuke's smoldering black eyes. "My _home_ is here," Naruto replied lowly, his lips slowly twisting into an animialistic growl. "Your home is Konoha," Sasuke said and turned his head to the right, trying still to find Angard and Nagen. That's when he realized the soul-sphere hadn't come to find him, which meant...

"Shit," Sasuke hissed when he realized just how screwed he and Naruto were if they couldn't find the Daemons. "Whats the matter? Can't a stuck up bastard like you figure out where we are?" Naruto mocked. But it wasn't like when Naruto would tease Sasuke before; his voice carried real malice now and Sasuke hated it. But two could play at this game.

Erasing any emotion that he had for the blonde for the time being (as hard as the action was), the raven carelessly let his arms drop from Naruto's shoulders and the fox child fell gracelessly to the ground. "Oomph!" Sasuke heard Naruto grunt, and the blonde glared up at the raven viciously. "What was that for," he growled and stood up, brushing the dirt from his orange and black pants and jacket.

Sasuke turned and ignored the pang in his heart at the utter lack of feeling he felt towards the boy. "We're going to look for Angard and Nagen," he called over his shoulder. "Hey-! Why would I _want_ to come with you?" Naruto asked loudly. "If you haven't noticed by now," _dobe_, he added silently, "We're in the middle of nowhere. Unless you want to be bait for wild animals, you'd do best to follow me."

"I'd sooner stick my feet in lava," Naruto sneered. Sasuke shrugged. "Fine. But I'm going to find my ticket out of here." And with that, Sasuke stepped into the underbrush, finally allowing a tear to trail down his cheek.

_8-8-8-8-8-8_

It was nearing midnight when Sasuke next gazed up at the sky, cursing when he saw clouds gathering low over the moon and stars, covering the already very little light as he finally activated his sharnigan, scanning over the ground and finding more puddles of blood. And, as he looked closely, small orb like dents in the ground and wood, showing that Nagen was indeed with Angard up to this point.

"Ugh..." A deep voice groaned from up ahead. "Angard!" Sasuke yelled and, abandoning his caution to the wind, sprinted forward and pulled branches and twigs out of his way as the sound of a man struggling reached his ears. Feeling his left hand pass into open air, Sasuke burst into a clearing with a small waterfall tumbling over the edge of a rocky overhang, and a thick trail of blood leading of the sandy and dusty ground to where a mass of black and brown lay, curled into a ball and the most concentration of crimson pooling under its chest.

Nagen was propped against a small boulder near the edge of the pond the waterfall created, three very thick gashes across his smooth glass surface and the orange air with blue, black, and white flecks was slowly oozing out of the cracks and evaporating into the air. _"...Sasu...ke..." _Nagen's voice drifted from the damaged orb shakily, and it rolled in the dirt feebly once.

Sasuke stepped forward, avoiding stepping in Angard's blood as he did so, and quickly strode to where Nagen lay, cupping the orb in his hand and covering the scratches with his hand, but the fog still drifted between his fingers after he had done so. _"...Your...bag. Get the...black cloth," _Nagen ordered. Sasuke remembered the object on his back and swung it over his shoulder to dig through its contents, seeing the weapon Nagen had told him to avoid earlier and making sure to steer clear of it, finally seeing what the orb described and pulled out a roll of black silk with white specks sprinkled over it.

_"Wrap it...around the surface."_ Sasuke did as told, wraping the silk around Nagen until he reached the end of the roll, tying it into a tight knot and noticing the orange fog stopped leaking out of Nagen. However, the color was now pitifully swirling around inside the orb, and there was so little that Nagen was almost see through. The orb coughed. _"Now...help Angard..."_ He ordered. "But I have no clue how to," Sasuke protested, and Angard seemed to groan. _"I'll help you. Come on..."_

Sasuke swallowed once. Images of his mother and father laying in pools of their own blood flashed before his eyes, their own orbs frozen open in death and his mother clutching at her stomach..."...Okay," he whispered, and stood to walk over to the brunette, crouching low and turning him over.

The Uchiha surpressed a shudder at what he saw. Angard's chest was almost ripped open, scraps of flesh laying limply to the side and exposing his beating heart, his lungs, his ribcage. An odd yellow object that normally shouldn't have been there glowed by his left hip, nine facets in its side and representing a tear drop shaped jewel glowing very weakly against the pulsing black and red of Angard's ripped blood vessels and muscle.

"How do I fix this," he whispered brokenly. He wasn't a medical nin! And not even the best could fix this..._"You have to let him die,"_ Nagen whispered, and managed to float barely three inches off the ground on the other side of Sasuke, away from the waterfall. Shock jolted through Sasuke. "What?" He asked, making sure he heard the orb right. _"Once he dies, I'll tell you what to do. But you have to trust me." _

Sasuke glanced back at the awful wound, and the sheen of sweat on Angard's face as the man groaned in pain again, eyes clenched tight and his fists grasping at the sand below them. The raven stood and stepped back. Angard's mutilated chest heaved and his lungs visibly expanded as he fought for air, eyes snapping open and looking for something unknown to Sasuke. The raven fought the urge to be sick as blood spilled over his sides as the brunette breathed, making a disgusting sloshing sound and his bones groaned in the process, adding to the horrible orchestra.

Then Angard stilled, and his eyes closed. The yellow gem dimmed to nothing and his lungs stopped moving, and his heart stopped beating. More fear clutched at Sasuke's own as Nagen slowly bobbed into the air and hovered over the yellow gem in Angard's side. _"Take this out..."_ He instructed. Sasuke couldn't keep a disgusted look from his face. _"Just do it," _Nagen snapped. _"We don't have much time. There's only a certain period after death where Angard can replace his ondia." _

_What's an ondia, _Sasuke thought while he stepped forward and gingerly placed his hand on the object, its surface warm under his palm and as he tugged, a soft squishing sound coming from Angard's side as he did so and slowly, the raven drew the object from the Daemon's flesh and held its teardrop form in his palm._ "His soul is in there. be careful," _Nagen warned, and Sasuke nodded. Not that he believed in souls and the afterlife, but after being in Hell he sure wasn't going to doubt something that came from there.

_"Now. You need to find the brightest facet,"_ the orb instructed._ "That is what will allow his soul to return to his flesh."_ Turning the object over in his hand, Sasuke inspected the ondia and finally found the brightest side, barely glowing more than the others and without his sharnigan he would have missed it. _"Put it back in his side, and keep that facet facing down into his flesh." _Sasuke grimaced, but complied regardless and knelt, placing the bright facet down first into the red flesh.

As soon as the jewel brushed Angard's muscle, a bright flash enveloped the brunette's body, and Sasuke scrambled back, almost falling in the water in the process as the light stung his skin, and he covered his eyes as white light coated every inch of Angard's body, a soft humming erupting from the space. The Uchiha covered his eyes, deactivating his sharnigan, and stayed where he was for a few minutes as the humming faded and silence dropped on them all once more.

Looking up, Sasuke saw that Angard's chest was completely normal (minus his torn shirt and the blood coating his skin) and his blue and brown eyes blinking open. "You...you're..." Sasuke stammered, and he cursed internally because Uchihas _never_ stammered. "Alive?" Angard guessed and stood shakily. "Yes." Sasuke shook his head, almost in denial at the scene before him. "Almost seems impossible," he noted. Then shrugged. "I'll explain later," Angard replied.

"But...thank you for saving me." Sasuke nodded. "Now...where's Naruto?" Angard asked. "Shit," Sasuke hissed. "He woke up...and I sort of left him in the woods." Angard opened his mouth to yell, but before he could another voice interrupted him.

"I'm right here," Naruto's voice called, and the blonde emerged from the other side of the clearing with a wicked grin on his face. "And I'm ready to go home."


End file.
